IWSE 3

“Stefan, I want some water.”

“What? You already drank some earlier.”

Elodie had immediately begun planning her escape. The sooner she took the first step, the better.

‘Before the others catch on, I need to secure as many supplies as possible.’

Stefan gave her an displeased look, but Elodie remained shamelessly persistent.

“Sorry. I’m a little thirsty.”

After hurriedly emptying her canteen, she didn’t forget to ask for another refill. She needed to drink as much as possible while supplies were still plentiful.

“Cough, cough!”

“Ugh. Stop splashing water everywhere and go away.”

“Elodieee! How could you drink so quickly? Were you that thirsty?”

Cough!

Elodie pounded her chest several times.

“Ah, I spilled so much. Thanks, Sylvia. Do you happen to have a handkerchief and a mirror?”

“Hmm, here.”

The survival backpacks contained emergency necessities, but there wasn’t much to spare. She would have liked to sneak some supplies from the others as well, if possible, but that probably wouldn’t work.

As she wiped her mouth, Elodie deliberately repeated the exact same words she had spoken in her previous life.

“Um, if we put some large leaves on top of the tent, it might be less damaged when it rains.”

“Rain? Are you kidding me? How long do you think we’re going to stay here? Do you want to live on this island forever?”

Stefan, who had apparently been waiting for an opportunity to pick a fight, snapped at her. Everyone shook their heads, but they seemed to share his feelings, as no one bothered to speak up.

It was a careless judgment.

“……I only suggested it because covering the tent with green leaves might also reduce the chances of being attacked by monsters or wild animals.”

“Hah! That’s the kind of thought only a weakling like you would come up with.”

Elodie’s pale blonde head drooped as though she were dejected.

“I was just making a suggestion……”

There was a simple reason she deliberately allowed herself to be scolded.

No matter how perfect her memory was, she wanted to get the timing exactly right.

“If you want to do that so badly, go ahead and do it yourself. You’re completely useless anyway.”

Stefan brushed past her, knocking her shoulder as he went.

The amethyst eyes of the aspiring thief sparkled.

Three, two, one.

“Wait. Everyone, be quiet.”

Robert swiftly turned his fiery red head toward the forest. Sylvia’s eyes widened.

“Robert, why……?”

“Something’s coming.”

Elodie quietly stepped backward.

Crack!

The sound of a thick tree branch snapping came from the forest.

“Grrrrwooo!”

A silver-furred monster roared.

Its enormous body was almost as tall as the surrounding trees, and long fangs protruded from its mouth.

Rattle!

A thick book opened in Elodie’s mind.

Quino Wolf. A Class 2 monster according to the Empire’s Monster Encyclopedia. They were difficult to exterminate because of their pack-hunting nature.

“Grrrr……”

“Th-this is impossible! A monster?!”

Sylvia jumped in fright.

“Quino Wolves! Everyone, prepare yourselves!”

Robert drew his sword.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

“Grrrr.”

Beyond the dark forest, pairs of glowing red eyes gradually appeared, one after another.

“T-there’s more than one!”

“Eight of them.”

Elodie’s lips moved.

“There are eight in total. We have to defeat them. The one at the very back is the alpha.”

Robert leaped high into the air, and a shimmering heat haze rose from his magnificent sword.

BOOOOM!

As always, Robert silently swallowed his curses.

‘By now, the dungeon training should have been finished perfectly.’

The heat radiating from his sword grew as intense as the Imperial Prince’s displeasure.

“GROOOOAR!”

Fangs as large as Robert’s upper body came into full view.

“U-ugh! That’s disgusting!”

“Quino Wolves in a place like this? It makes no sense! Don’t those things live in jungles?”

Stefan, who had been shouting in alarm, swiftly summoned his water spirit.

“Undine!”

A round, whale-like creature soared into the sky.

—Vooooom.

A magnificent sight unfolded as the enormous spirit swam through the air.

And then—

BOOOOM!

A blue vortex pierced straight through one of the Quino Wolves.

“GROOOOAR!”

“Kill them all!”

Water spears spun fiercely through the air, and the wolves began falling one after another.

“Everyone, step back.”

The final blow belonged to Robert.

A lava-hot flame surged from the Imperial sword.

“Looks like our food has come walking right to us.”

Ignis Terrain.

The magic Robert had inherited incinerated the enormous monster’s body.

“GROOOOAR!”

The heat was so intense that even their still-damp clothes dried completely.

The prince glanced at his sleeves, where white salt deposits had begun flaking off, and raised an eyebrow.

‘I should have brought another set of clothes.’

A member of the Imperial Family had to be perfect at all times.

Robert Bavarian was expected to reign above everyone else and serve as an example to all.

“GROOOAR!”

The Imperial sword, wielded without a moment’s hesitation, sliced the wolf in half.

‘To think we’ve been stranded for days in a place inhabited by Quino Wolves.’

The prince hated this filthy island. He hated monsters that dared bare their fangs at him. Sleeping crammed together with other people was also entirely beneath Robert’s dignity.

“Flames, annihilate the enemy like a raging storm!”

Mana blazed red around Robert’s entire body.

Those responsible for ruining the prince’s schedule would undoubtedly lose their heads.

“Pay dearly for daring to challenge me!”

A hot wind enveloped his entire body, and three Quino Wolves were helplessly swallowed by the flames.

“As expected of Robert!”

“Not yet.”

He extended an arm toward Sylvia, who was cheering excitedly.

Even though his fierce flames had already taken down five wolves, his thick eyebrows remained furrowed.

“Grrk.”

The prince’s golden eyes turned in one direction.

‘The alpha.’

The creature shook its body, scattering the sparks that had landed on its fur.

What kind of hide could withstand a storm of flames?

The alpha immediately pushed off the ground and sprinted away.

Not toward the front, but toward the rear.

“Haha. Running away, are you?”

Robert considered pursuing it, but eventually lowered his sword.

Now that Quino Wolves had appeared near the beach, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down. There was also a good possibility that other monsters inhabited the island.

A wise leader always considered every possibility.

‘……If it were Camille Veltierre, he would have chased after it.’

A monster like that would undoubtedly have survived even if caught up in this accident.

Clicking his tongue, Robert sheathed his sword.

“Are you not going to chase it?”

Elodie Fontaine asked in a small voice.

His mood immediately worsened.

“There’s no point wasting our strength. We’ve dealt with the entire pack, so they won’t come near us for a while.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

“Where, where are you hurt? Is everyone okay?”

Sylvia hurried over, pushing Elodie aside as she approached.

‘It was a sudden ambush, but defeating them wasn’t particularly difficult. Even if there are more Quino Wolves deeper inside the island……’

The prince slowly surveyed his companions.

Robert, the wielder of flames. Sylvia, the healer. Stefan, the spirit summoner……

His golden eyes briefly passed over the remaining person.

‘This should be more than enough.’

Robert nodded.

Under normal circumstances, Elodie might have been somewhat useful. However, the appearance of the monsters had changed the situation.

‘Well, I suppose I can have her handle the odd jobs for the time being.’

The prince glanced at the academically gifted girl whose legs were trembling slightly before turning away.

“At least we got some meat. Wolf meat is better than nothing.”

Just as everyone turned their attention toward the fallen Quino Wolves—

“Huh?”

Everyone’s hair whipped wildly in the wind.

A sudden gust swept through the area.

Robert instinctively turned around.

“KYAAAAAA!”

A hideous-looking monstrous bird swooped down and snatched up the female student who had been standing alone at the very back.

Elodie Fontaine’s pale blonde hair swayed like a fading afterimage.

The black bird, with patches of feathers missing from its body, soared into the sky with its prey clutched in its talons.

By the time they blinked, Elodie Fontaine had already become a tiny dot in the distance.

Her screams gradually faded away.

“W-what the hell is that?!”

Sylvia, who had been relatively close to her, collapsed onto her backside in terror.

The enormous monstrous bird flew far into the distance.

And once it reached its nest, it……

Dropped the frail Elodie Fontaine.

Thud.

“Gasp.”

“W-what…… What was that thing?!”

Everyone gasped.

Robert was no exception.

It had been barely half a day since they had crash-landed on this isolated island.

Elodie Fontaine was dead.

[Are you not going to chase it?]

In her previous life, Elodie had strongly insisted that they should eliminate the alpha.

[You want us to go in there right now? Are you insane?]

Stefan and Sylvia had been afraid to pursue it.

And when the alpha returned with its pack, Stefan, terrified out of his mind, had pushed Elodie away without a moment’s hesitation.

That was all there was to it.

[AAAH!]

Almost the entire right side of her upper body had been torn away.

She had poured all the emergency potions she carried over her wounds, but there hadn’t been enough.

‘……Not a single one of them took out their own potions for me.’

It was a miracle she had survived without developing a severe infection.

Her pale hand unconsciously wandered over her shoulder.

Smooth.

There wasn’t a single scar yet.

‘Some companions, huh.’

Elodie poked her head out of the swaying nest made of woven branches.

“I’m glad everything went according to plan.”

That’s right.

Elodie Fontaine was alive.

Her entire body ached, but a feeble smile kept escaping her lips.

Her amethyst eyes blinked rapidly.

[If you want to do that so badly, go ahead and do it yourself. You’re completely useless anyway.]

No. After that.

[Wait. Everyone, be quiet.]

Yes. This was the moment.

Elodie had prepared everything meticulously to get the timing exactly right.